Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 353 3
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By: Senator Hester 5
By: Representative Wooldridge 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE DATE OF THE PRIMARY ELECTION; TO 9
PROVIDE THAT THE PREFERENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION SHALL 10
BE HELD IN MARCH; TO CHANGE THE DATE OF THE FISCAL 11
SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; AND FOR OTHER 12
PURPOSES. 13
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Subtitle 16
TO AMEND THE DATE OF THE PRIMARY 17
ELECTION; TO PROVIDE THAT THE 18
PREFERENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION SHALL BE 19
HELD IN MARCH; AND TO CHANGE THE DATE OF 20
THE FISCAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL 21
ASSEMBLY. 22
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 7-7-203(a) and (b), concerning the dates of 26
the general primary election and preferential primary election, are amended 27
to read as follows: 28
(a) The general primary election shall be held : 29
(1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the 30
ballot at the general election, on the third Tuesday in June preceding the 31
general election; and 32
(2) For years in which the office of President of the United 33
States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four 34
(4) weeks following the preferential primary election. 35
(b) The preferential primary election shall be held : 36 SB353
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(1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the 1
ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four (4) weeks before the 2
general primary election; and 3
(2) For years in which the office of President of the United 4
States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the first 5
Tuesday after the first Monday in March. 6
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 7 -7-203(c)(1), concerning the dates of the 8
general primary election and preferential primary election, is amended to 9
read as follows: 10
(c)(1) The party filing period shall be a one -week period beginning 11
and ending on the following dates and times: 12
(A) For years in which the office of Governor will appear 13
on the ballot at the general election, beginning at 12:00 noon one (1) week 14
prior to the first day in March and ending at 12:00 noon on the second day in 15
March; and 16
(B) For years in which the office of President of the 17
United States will appear on the ballot at the general election, beginning at 18
12:00 noon on the first Monday in November preceding the general primary 19
election and ending at 12:00 noon on the eighth day thereafter. 20
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 7 -7-304(a)(1), concerning the names to be 22
included on the ballots in a preferential primary, is amended to read as 23
follows: 24
(a)(1) The Secretary of State shall certify to all county boards of 25
election commissioners full lists of the names of all candidates who have 26
filed party certificates with him or her to be placed on the ballots in their 27
respective counties at the preferential primary election not less than : 28
(A) Seventy-five (75) days before a preferential primary 29
election that is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 30
(B) Ninety-two ninety-two (92) days before a preferential 31
primary election that is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 32
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 7 -7-304(b)(1), concerning the names to be 34
included on the ballots in a preferential primary, is amended to read as 35
follows: 36 SB353
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(b)(1) The county clerk shall certify to the county board of election 1
commissioners full lists of the names of all candidates who have filed party 2
certificates with him or her to be placed on the ballot at the preferential 3
primary election not less than : 4
(A) Seventy-five (75) days before a preferential primary 5
election that is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 6
(B) Ninety-two ninety-two (92) days before a preferential 7
primary election that is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 8
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SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 7 -7-305(b)(1), concerning the printing of 10
ballots and draw for ballot position, is amended to read as follows: 11
(b)(1) The order in which the names of the respective candidates are 12
to appear on the ballots at all preferential and general primary elections 13
shall be determined by lot at the public meeting of the county board of 14
election commissioners held not later than : 15
(A) Seventy-two (72) days before a preferential primary 16
election that is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 17
(B) Eighty-nine eighty-nine (89) days before a 18
preferential primary election that is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 19
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 10 -2-101(b)(1), concerning the time for 21
meeting by the General Assembly in fiscal session, is amended to read as 22
follows: 23
(b)(1) The General Assembly shall meet in a fiscal session to consider 24
appropriation bills in each even -numbered year at 12:00 noon on the : 25
(A) Second Monday in February in years in which the 26
preferential primary election is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 27
(B) Second second Wednesday in April in years in which the 28
preferential primary election is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 29
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SECTION 7. Arkansas Code § 10 -2-112(a)(1), concerning the prefiling of 31
bills and resolutions, is amended to read as follows: 32
(a)(1) The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives and the 33
Secretary of the Senate, under the direction and supervision of the Speaker 34
of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 35
shall establish a system for the prefiling of bills and resolutions beginning 36 SB353
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on: 1
(A) November 15 of each year preceding a regular session 2
of the General Assembly; and 3
(B) The second Monday of January of each year of a fiscal 4
session of the General Assembly which is held in a year in which the 5
preferential primary election is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 6
(C) The second Monday of March of each year of a fiscal 7
session of the General Assembly which is held in a year in which the 8
preferential primary election is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 9
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SECTION 8. Arkansas Code § 10 -3-2104(d)(3), concerning reports under 11
the Continuing Advocacy Evaluation Act of 2004, is amended to read as 12
follows: 13
(3) If the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee 14
on Education find that the recommendations in the most recent adequacy 15
evaluation report filed under this section should be amended, the House 16
Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education, jointly or 17
separately, or both, shall advise in writing the President Pro Tempore of the 18
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of their findings and 19
amendments to the adequacy evaluation report : 20
(A) By November 1 of the calendar year before the 21
beginning of a fiscal session that is held in a year in which the 22
preferential primary election is held in May under § 7 -7-203; and 23
(B) By by March 1 of the calendar year before the 24
beginning of a fiscal session that is held in a year in which the 25
preferential primary election is held in March under § 7 -7-203. 26
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SECTION 9. Arkansas Code § 19 -4-304(b), concerning regular and fiscal 28
session preparations, is amended to read as follows: 29
(b) The secretary shall submit the annual revenue forecast to the 30
Legislative Council: 31
(1) By December 1 of the year preceding a fiscal session that is 32
held in a year in which the preferential primary election will be held in May 33
under § 7-7-203; 34
(2) By February 1 of a year preceding a fiscal session that is 35
held in a year in which the preferential primary election is held in March 36 SB353
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under § 7-7-203; and 1
(3)(2) No later than sixty (60) days before the start of a 2
regular session. 3
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